Life in the Land of BBQ

The theater, the theater, what happened to the theater?

2006-12-09T10:27:00.000-06:00

ok - what movie is that quote from? the only one who wouldn't know would be anne-marie since she has never bothered to watch an all-time holiday classic. pooh on her. one day i will sit on her & make her watch it.
good morning boys & girls. how is everyone doing this holiday season? to be completely honest i live & die for the weekends. despite the fact that dave doesn't like christmas, i thoroughly enjoy attempting to trapse through overcrowded stores and take my life into my own hands while driving. i really do - no sarcasm there. i enjoy watching people go ansolutely insane trying to buy gifts for everyone, because more than likely they will show up in my office in january wishing to file for bankruptcy. ahh.. the splendor of the american system. today we're going to best buy so i may purchase good 'ol Depp in P.O.C. i love that movie! then we're going to see "Apocalypto". despite the fact that i may not agree with gibson's personal views on the jews, you have to admit the man has balls to not really care that he completely & utterly demolished how people view him (personally). just watching the previews for this movie i'm impressed w/the cinematography. that's not my point though - my point is that this will be the 2nd weekend in a row we're going to the movies! holy crap batman! i can never get dave to go to the movies - it's like pulling teeth or something. last week we saw "For Your Consideration" (Christopher Guest, Best In Show, Mighty Wind, etc.). i HIGHLY recommend that movie - freaking hysterical. we were both laughing outright in the theater. my only criticism was that at the end of the movie, we looked at each other as "is that it?" i could have sat there for another hour watching the movie. definitely go see it.

San Miguel

2006-12-02T10:38:00.000-06:00

so it's been a while. and i know there probably isn't anyone out there reading this, but i figured i'd put something out there. all is (relatively) well in the land of bbq. mild depression is setting in due to the fact that it's the holiday season and we are far away from friends. good news is that we are separating ourselves more & more from dave's family (sorry, but the drama is getting fairly out of control). my mom visited a few weeks ago for a along weekend and we went to mexico to visit my dad. i've included a couple of pictures from mexico - we had a blast and i can definitely see why dad moved down there. it is unbelievable. it's a great town set in the mountains and very 'traditional'. it's an artist community and there are art galleries everywhere and a lot of expats living there. the locals are very nice and indulging of the gringos gross mutilation of their native language. all-in-all we can't wait to go back. my dad and his partner are building a new house and will be moving into it in January. the house is unbelievable - something you would see in the movies. prices are comparable to everything here, but the only expensive thing is to get to where they are living - the flights aren't cheap. they cost the same as to fly to London. but you have a free place to stay, a maid and a cook. i think i could live with that. the best thing is seeing the donkeys on the side of the road - it's called "hitch & ride". basically the people living outside of town ride their donkeys to the nearest bus stop, hitch them up and take the bus into town (for work) for the day. the funny thing, is that farmers know this and will walk to the nearest bus stop and use the waiting donkeys for field work. apparently it's a major problem/controversy. the donkeys are so tired at the end of the day, that when their owners take the bus home and pick up the donkeys at the bus stop, they are too tired to walk the guys home. i think that would make an awesome SNL skit.... we did have "Thanksgiving" dinner while we were there, at this fancy restaurant in the woods. it was absolutely beatiful but the turkey sure didn't taste like turkey....

Habitatus

2006-10-15T20:25:00.000-05:00

we have finally finished moving - it only took us 2.5 weeks, but we are done. we did buy an island for the kitchen that was delivered to my office that we need to bring home - but other than making dave unpack & put away his clothes, we're pretty much settled in. i am in the process of doing my 1st load of laundry here so i guess it's official. and it couldn't get any better with the steelers lay an ass whoopin' on the chiefs - yahoo. tukery pot pie is back! i don't really have anything else to say, although i am now finally rid of my last nemesis at work (not including "The Asshole" - there's no getting rid of him). but there was one attorney who was the bane of everyone's existence and friday was her last day - most everyone refused to go to her going away party. it was amusing. alright, i'm signing off - i hope all is well with everyone. miss you guys much and hope to see you soon!

Magic Powers

2006-10-01T20:51:00.000-05:00

so we had a huge family 'celebration' in honor of our wedding. first off - this was NOT our idea, dave's mother planned the entire shindig. second - it wasn't too horrible, and we did get some gifts. third - it made his mother happy which is the only reason why we agreed to it in the first place. otherwise all i've done this weekend is move stuff into our new place. now that we've actually started moving i cannot wait to get out of the place we are currently in. i wish i could just wiggle my nose and everything be done. i think i might have seriously strained my back trying to move a bookcase by myself. oh well - i'm just out of shape. but my wrist is absolutely killing me. i know i know, this isn't feel sorry for poor lil' ol'me... but geez. all i was doing was changing some switchplates (actually all the switchplates and there are quite a few) and i guess my wrist isn't used to using the screwdriver that much...
dave went and visited mike and it was a good visit. i guess the end was pretty emotional - how couldn't it be with the marlboro man and a big mexan weeping like babies? seriously though, as you can imagine an insane amount of liquor/alcohol was consumed and as dave pointed out when i picked him up from the airport late last night 'i've been drunk since thursday'. but they were able to talk about some stuff that i know mike's not going to want to talk about in the future (i.e. what he wants dave to teach maricela when she gets older, etc.). his operation is on thursday and i guess the doctor is going to remove 10in of his colon (i thought it was only 7in) but the good news is that they think his liver is good - they just don't know how his intestines are. he's going to be laid up for about 6-8weeks; he pretty much can't do anything other than lay in bed and i'm concered about them since he's the stay-at-home dad and rebeca works. dave said he kept starting to cry everytime mari would cry for mike to pick her up - mike kept telling her 'mari - you have to get tused to this, i'm not going to be able to pick you up anymore'. anyways, as i sit here crying as i write this i told mike on the phone the other day that he's going to be here for a long time yet - we can't get rid of him that easily! and in typical mike fashion, he replied - 'you know the coolest thing about having cancer? all the free shit people give you because they feel sorry for you - it's awesome'. seriously though, any/all of you reaidng this - look into getting AFLAC insurance. mike & rebeca have it and it is unbelievable - they are going to be (for the most part) completely taken care of financially.
on a lighter note - j-bo has been rubbing up again the keyboard wishing everyone hello and he said that some people need to go on a road trip soon to KC. hmm... i wonder where he got that from? i am SO glad that the evil munchkin leader (tom brady) flattened the bungles... i may hate tom brady with all of my soul but i would take him over the bungles anyday. i don't care what 'america' says - tom brady is NOT one of the hottest men - they also voted for george bush.... hmm....
by the way - is this font too small to read without squinting? let me know.....

Red or White ?

2006-09-24T16:46:00.000-05:00

so i'm beginning to think there is a conspiracy going on... everytime we move dave is out of town. ok, ok this time he's only gone for a weekend (as opposed to an entire month) and he has a valid reason (he's going to visit torres) but i like to give him a hard time. we actually went out of town this weekend - glorious! we ventured to columbia to see Clutch (the greatest band ever) and then to this little historic town called hermann (it's got about 5 wineries). we stayed in a little bed & breakfast and sat around all day at the wineries drinking multiple bottles of wine, then we went to this tiny little restaurant set in the woods, and back to the b&b to sit in the jacuzzi out under the stars - at which point we went back to the room and passed out. then this morning we had a gourmet breakfast and came back to witness the steelers lose to the most hated team in the NFL. but alas, the weekend was wonderful. Clutch was great - they played until nearly 1am and had a few encore performances. Hermann is about an hour west of st. louis, so i'm thinking that one day we need to all meet & have a 'weekend of wine' or a 'wino weekend' in hermann... it's cool because at the wineries you can bring whatever you want - there were parties and people just hanging out - eating homemade cheese and sausage (and did i mention the freshly made warm baguettes?) drinking multiple bottles of local wine.... yummmy. of course, now we're back in KC & i cannot wait to move.

C.H.U.D. Slayer

2006-09-20T21:41:00.000-05:00

ok - i am completely overwhelmed right now. i'm looking around our place wondering how in the hell we are going to move everything in 2 weeks. i also have some sad news - dave's best friend, mike torres (the mexican) was diagnosed with colon cancer last week. it's been a bit of an emotional ride - he's having surgery on 10/5 and apparently it doesn't look too good. dave's going up there next weekend to be with mike but no one will know anything until the surgery. please everyone think of him and keep him in your thoughts....
on a different note - dave has begun blogging on slate.com - interesting.... he is branching out and scaring people in the real world now... i can't remember what his screen name is - i'll have to ask him... i finally have an office staff whom i am happy about - the evil ones have departed (with the exception of my 'partner') and now everyone is upbeat and non-bitchy... whew... nevertheless there is still one asshole left who i will not be able to purge to the depths of hell... besides i might need his help moving books into our new place

I hate Chris Collinsworth

2006-09-16T16:57:00.000-05:00

we went over to our new place this morning to take some measurments to make sure things are going to fit. i think they will, but i guess i didn't realize that we are going to cut down our wall space by about 75%. i say this because the ceilings are all slanted and nearly every wall in the apartment has a slanted ceiling. hence, this truly will be a hobbit house.... the ceilings are low to begin with and so i'm not sure where we are going to put our pictures - there might not be hardly any on the walls... we've already decided to get a storage unit for the miscellaneous things that we absolutely cannot live without yet cannot fit in our place. it will be interesting . as the moment michigan is killing notre dame... it's wonderul - and i am sorry to say that samarzja is not attractive (sorry annie). the new neighbors moved in today - dave & i are already planning on hiding the trash bin so they don't use it. it's pathetic the games you play when you're older. at least we'll only have neighbors for another few weeks - then we won't have to share walls with anyone. if you get a moment you should check out dave's blog - he has some interesting insights into the Christian -vs- Muslim conflict as well as a cute picture of Maricella.

01.10.06

2006-09-12T21:18:00.000-05:00

the hobbit house is ours! we are worthy! our lease begins oct 1st - now we just have to move all our crap. we're definitely going on a purging binge - that much is for sure. we're also hiring movers to take care of all the furniture. no more moving this crap on our own. we just went to our new landlords' place to sign everything - mind you their house is less that 20 ft away. and now i am unbelievably jealous because they are living in my dream home and have my dream backyard (and we are living in the carriage house). but i am excited to be living there. and the husband knows what a raclette is! (mind you, he's also Dutch - as in right from Holland 7 years ago). now all the fun stuff, like packing, changing accounts, changing addresses - all the exhilirating things start. i will definitely get lost getting to my new place though. it's very confusing. but i will send out an email with our new address

Hobbit Lane

2006-09-10T10:20:00.000-05:00

we're going to move. don't get excited - we can't afford to move overseas just yet, but we are going to move downtown. we looked at places yesterday and really like one of them. we're planning on this place however we still have to "officially" file an application and whatnot - which to be perfectly honest is nerve-wracking. the place we're looking at is a carriagehouse apartment (which means that it's an apartment overtop a detached garage of someone's house). i didn't really have very high hopes going into it but i figured to give it a shot. the main house is an old victorian house and the carriagehouse dave referred to as "Hobbit House" - and it does look like it. it's only one level but pretty spacious with slanted ceilings and a ton of skylights. of course, now we're getting excited and you know me - i'm already working on changing utilities and whatnot. after talking with the wife who is renting she was really nice and i think she really liked us, but of course we still have to be 'approved' and find out if we're worthy. this is the part that i hate. i don't really see her & her husband saying no - but there is still that waiting period that just sucks. not to mention the fact that she's about to give birth at moment - which may or may not work in our favor. they could either be preoccupied and say due why not - or they could dillydally around and we're waiting on tenderhooks. although as far as i know they're looking to fill it as soon as possible. dave & i have already decided to hire movers. we'll box our crap but someone else is moving it all. i'm not fighting getting through door frames with furniture anymore. we wouldn't have a yard anymore, but we would have a little spot outside the door on the driveway. the garage is set back far from the road and behind the house, so there's lots of privacy and it's quite. best thing is that this house is in dowtown KC and only about a 15min drive to work. now that you all have heard everything about our potential new place i am sure you are bored to tears, but too bad. i don't really have anything else exciting to say. work is blah - it's great to have dave there but i still abhor jason. oh well - it's a vicious cycle. if we can hopefully get this carriagehouse then we won't waste an hour of our day commuting to work and use that time to decompress. we'd be about 5 min from the plaza and westport (shopping & drinking). keep your fingers crossed......

What's with the innards?

2006-09-05T12:25:00.000-05:00

alright - i want to know what the hell is going on. first, annie has to have her gallbladder removed - now turkey pot pie had to have an appendectomy. jesu! big ben was just not destined to start this season (he should've taken the cue when he flew off the bike). oh well. funny thing is that they released omar jacobs and the only other QB they had was charlie batch - well, now they re-signed brian st. pierre in order to cover their butts until roethlisberger comes back. now that all of you feel fulfilled nowing what is going on in pittsburgh i will move on.
i am back to work today and already grumbling. not about my job, but about my job - my 'partner'. whatever - jackass. first of all, he's barely put in a 20hr work week since i've been back from my wedding and it has been absolutely crazy at the office and he really needed/needs to be here. now, because i have made so much money for the firm this month - he will get a fat bonus. bullshit hunh? i will get a small one, but it pisses me off that he will get such a large one when he's barely put in any work whatsoever. ugh. i think i might just talk to him about this and confront him. hmmm.... this is the jersey part of me coming out

Roma

2006-09-02T08:06:00.000-05:00

i don't really have anything extraordinary to say this morning. i thought i would just share some pictures of my favorite place in Rome, the Pantheon. i promise to elaborate and include something more fulfilling later on. after all, football is on all weekend!

Mexican Turkey

2006-08-30T18:41:00.000-05:00

as you may notice, i changed the settings on my blog - i'm still not real happy with it, but i'm no guru like paul & i can't figure out this crap without wanting to throw the keyboard through the window.
so, my dad officially moved down to mexico close to a month ago. he loves it and of course so kindly thought to email me today and describe how he squeezed fresh orange juice this morning while the mountain breeze drifted through his open windows. or about how his cook (yes - he has a cook, and a maid) makes all this wonderful homemade (obviously mexican) food and the scents waft through the air and linger throughout the day. yeah - thanks for that mental picture. (note my heavy sarcasm). i just can't wait to go down the visit over thanksgiving. that a win the lottery so we can buy our own castle in the u.k. and villa on the italian riviera.

Steeler Nation

2006-08-28T18:53:00.000-05:00

ok - so i promised to write more & 10 days go by without anything.... i deeply apologize my dear friends. to be perfectly honest, nothing entirely exciting has happened. dave has now officially become a yuppie - i hired him to work in my office. he is the personal legal assistant to the personal injury attorney. yes - technically i hired him, however the attorney was the one who decided who he wanted. what is it like to work with your husband? well, let me tell you.... it saves my sanity. yes folks - it is true. without dave at the office i truly feel that i would completely lose my mind - i can vent to him without potentially involving some of my staff. (i keep telling everyone if they move out here i'll get them well paying jobs, but no one's taking me up on it!) although i will admit that 2 of the 'problem children' put in their 2 week notice and as of today are no longer working there. i have never been religious, but i am starting to believe. my 2 worst shit starters are no longer a thorn in my side and the rest of the office is happy as well. these 2 were the only ones - everyone else are angels (well, you know) and i truly enjoy not only their positive and fun attitudes but they are hard-workers as well. dave replaced one of them and i hired another woman as a replacement and as of right now i am still wary of her. we'll see how she turns out (she is definitely on a short leash though). enough about stressful environments. on to more exciting news.... which i don't have - but i do have pictures. although dave did find the nastiest and biggest spider i think i have ever seen in my life. it was crawling on one of our plants outside the patio door - i think it was from south africa. spots and all. good news is that football season has begun - thank the heavens above.

Priodas

2006-08-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

Good morning everyone! I bet you all thought I had disappeared and was never to return - well, ha - I am back. After a long draught I have returned to the land of bbq with a venegeance. OK, well I'm not that excited about being back but what are you going to do? I will not bore everyone with the details of my life for the past 2 months - if you are a close friend then you already know. Suffice to say that from 24 June - 17 July was the best period of my entire life. Now, I have returned to the States and am trying desperately to escape. Dave & I are doing everything in our power but I think that a move will definitely be mandatory - even if it's just to the downtown part of the city. We'll see... I can honestly say that I love married life - it truly is not that much different than before, but being the non-feminist that I am I love 'belonging' to someone. I don't really have much else to say at the moment - other than once again I am having an extremely difficult time dealing with my job, already have our tickets to Mexico for Thanksgiving (we're visiting my dad who has now officially moved down there), and will be going to California at the end of October. We live for getting out of here

Turkey Pot Pie

2006-06-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

I have to say that I am so happy to be able to read everyone's blogs this morning. I have been terrible lately about not writing - I've been a bit overstressed. Not because of our upcoming nuptials, that planning has been splendid - no, it is solely due to work. I really like my job and although I may complain about the lack of intelligence from some of my employees, they work hard (for the most part) and are good people. What I hate is my 'managing partner'. Ugh. But I don't need to go into all that - you've all heard it before. I am very happy to see that Annie has returned to the big screen - yeah! And I'm right there with you about the whole 'falling-asleep-when-sleepy' issue; although I must say Paul, I have NEVER fallen asleep at a WWE event - that is sacriligious. Just kidding.... or am I?
OK, so I am SO EXCITED about my wedding that I have to gush about it for a moment of two. I am not only so happy to marry my soulmate (aww....) but I am so excited to celebrate for a week with everyone in another country - to see Annie & Cathy in the motherland. I fully expect them to perpetually carry around their flags and wave them whenever they hear someone talking with a British/Welsh accent. And I feel so much less stressed knowing certain people will not be attending any longer. And now, to my excitement - my friend Frankie from Jersey will be there! He got his plane tix on Sunday and I haven't seen him in over 5 years. Jersey, Michigan, Indiana & Missouri will all be representing! Now that we're into the 2 week stretch the excitement keeps building - not to mention that it's my birthday this weekend and that's one more reason to be happy.
On the flip side, Dave was in a car accident last week. He's OK, but his back is pretty messed up & 2 bones in his neck aren't where they are supposed to be. He's going to a chiropractor and is filing a Personal Injury claim, but he's in quite a bit of pain. Not to the point that he can't move, but I'm hoping that he'll be better in a week so he's not too uncomfortable on the plane. I'm going to push him to go to a 'real' doctor, simply due the fact that a chiropractor cannot prescribe drugs and he needs something. So Dave hasn't been working for 5 days now and cannot go back to work until at least Tuesday. Ouch - $$$wise that ain't good and we've done our freaking out about it but what are you going to do?
Last topic: Mr. Turkey-Pot-Pie. Holy mackeral Batman - what was the boy thinking? For those of you confused, 'Mr. Turkey-Pot-Pie' is Ben Rothelisberger. Don't ask. You'll laugh when I tell you this, but I was/am seriously worried and thought I was going to break down and cry for a bit there (I also think that I was PMSing, but nevertheless). My heart definitely stopped beating there. OK - no more about that, I'm too emotional.
Alright, I'd best get to work. Hopefully we will be getting our cell numbers for Wales soon and I can give them to you before I leave. I will definitely be more diligent about blahgging - I promise.

Plates

2006-06-10T09:30:00.000-05:00

Saturday - the best day ever. It is glorious to have absolutely no plans whatsoever and just relax and take things one at a time. I love it. There are a few things that I should accomplish this weekend but none take much effort thankfully. We received our first wedding gift via mail this week. It was from a friend of my dad whom I have never met, but she bought us 3 place settings that I registered for at Pottery Barn. How awesome is that? Dave & I didn't want to register for anything b/c we didn't want gifts at all (if anyone wanted to get us anything they could send money), however after much cajoling from family members pointing out that if we didn't register for something then we ran the risk of getting something hideous that was not our style at all. I figured this was a good point. So I registered us for just a few things at Pottery Barn & Target - nothing expensive (I did choose one Italian ceramic site which is a little pricey, but that was just for kicks). We don't need anything and it was hard figuring out what to put on there. The pathetic part is that the more I started looking at stuff the more I really liked the dishes I picked out - although we still weren't expecting anything from anyone and had forgotten about it until the other day. It was a nice surprise. Well, j-bo is driving me crazy right now for attention and once again is rubbing his face all over the keyboard. If anything exciting happens this weekend I'll let you know.

Drama - consequences of living near family

2006-06-04T10:25:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Sorry I fell off the blog wagon this past week. We went to Bloomington last weekend and had a glorious weekend; and the 4 of us are now fortunate enough to know the winner of the Indy 500 & to have the priviledge to say that we watched the stimulating end of the race (and it was pretty cool to see the guy's foot get run over). Come on now Cathy - what was the name of the winner? I remember the Andretti family was 2 & 3; gosh - my life is getting pretty bad when I can tell you about the Indy 500 and know the lineage of the Andretti family.
Enough about car racing, we did have a lovely time seeing the Hart sisters and I would like to thank you ladies for a much needed fun weekend. Yesterday we had our little 'BBQ'; Dave & I 'did up' the backyard and it looks pretty cool. We had a gazeebo/tent that we bought when we moved last year and finally put it up yesterday. We also had some tiki torches and outdoor lights that we strung up - the decorating was much more for our benefit than anyone else's. It was apparently decided last night that Dave & I are being taken out by family members and some friends for our respective bachelor & bachelorette parties. I am more than slightly apprehensive about this. Mainly due to the fact that I know going out with Dave's sisters will involve going to a strip club or them hiring a stripper. I can say that I have never been to a strip club before nor have I ever witnessed a stripper routine other than from watching 'The Sopranos'. I have never had any desire to watch an oily guy take off his clothes - it seems so silly. Now I know that is what you're supposed to do at your bachelorette party, but for heaven's sake that does not appeal to me at all. Watching and over steroid using, greasy looking guy dressed as a fireman gyrate on stage with absolutely no rythym. That does not do it for me. But they're really excited about it and even though I said that it didn't appeal to me they are nonetheless adamant about going. I'm hoping to somehow get out of it. Why can't we just go to a bar or something? I'm hoping that one of Dave's sisters will backout considering that she's pregnant and goes to bed at 8pm.
Oh yes - we did receive glorious news last week. OK, so the sister and brother-in-law that I bitched about going on our honeymoon with us, are now not going at all - AT ALL! She found out she is pregnant and since she is 1 month along 'doesn't want to fly because something could happen'. Geez... they paid a crap load of money (that's non-refundable) and now are not going to the wedding at all - not just the honeymoon, but not going to the wedding either. Wonderful Glorious Beautiful Day! Let me continue to explain what a freaking dumbass his sister is as well. Not only did she ask us to change the date of our wedding so that her & her husband could go for longer but she whined that this was her 'only chance to ever go to Italy'. Then the only other thing she wants is to get pregnant - but the idiot decides to stop taking her pills 1.5 months before the trip and gets knocked up. Then she claims that she's too tired to do anything and traveling wouldn't be good in her condition. Nevertheless, her hubby ain't to happy over the fact that he didn't want to have kids for at least another year, already paid a couple grand on the traveling expenses, and now has nothing on his plate other than an overly-hormonal pregant wife who not only drove him nuts before, but now will probably drive him other the edge. He has been perpetually drunk since he found out she was pregnant.
Not that you all were dying to know what was going on among the drama of Dave's relatives, but I thought that was hysterical. Now I will have a lovely wedding and honeymoon, sister & brother-in-law free. Yahoo. Although I should explain that the brother-in-law and I work together. We are 'partners' when it comes to running the law office (i.e. I run the office while he takes 1/2 days all the time & doesn't have a clue). So now he's giving me shit because I'm going to be gone for 3 weeks (for my wedding) and he's going to have to do some real work. And when I say he's giving me shit he's also acting like a 4 year old. The last time I was gone 3 people nearly quit because he was such an ass. This is to be expected though - he was going to be gone 2 weeks and of course all was fine. Now that he's not going he has to try and make my life a living hell. I cannot wait to move out of this state. Dave hasn't written to Prince Charlie yet but I'm trying to get him to do it before we leave. Maybe he will bequeath us a small castle in the northland or something.

Sticky

2006-05-25T09:29:00.000-05:00

I don't have anything exciting to report - I apologize. It's going to be 91' today and is unbelievably humid. Come on now - who wouldn't want to move to Kansas City? I spent my entire day yesterday sorting out squabbles between some of my staff and one of the attorneys. Fun. I should explain that this particular attorney is a bitch and is very 2-faced, likes to talk down to people but 'doesn't know she's hurting anyone's feelings' - whatever. My girls (and guys) are not what you'd call sensitive and can give as good as they get, but give me a break. I don't care who you are you need to show respect to your fellow co-workers. Anyways, I'm a little protective of 'my staff'. Today's biggest concern was that the copy machine wasn't a clear as usual; I can deal with that, if that's the main concern of the morning bring it on. Next weekend is our BBQ/picnic at my house. It was proposed that it only be a 'non-attorney' get together, but I ended up inviting everyone - we'll see how it goes. There will also be other people there as well so it should prove to be fairly interesting.

9 months... no - not me

2006-05-22T13:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday. Sort of... I have never liked Mondays - I absolutely hate the pit of dread in your belly on Sunday night, knowing that another week is beginning and you have to go to work (or school) the next morning - and that you have to do it for 5 days in a row. Exiciting weekend, yes it was (well, as exciting as can be in the land of Misery). I went for a make-up consultation at MAC on Saturday morning - a full hour of being pampered and spending an exorbitant amount of money on make-up that for the most part I won't wear all that often. It was a 'bridal' consultation and the very nice lady made me look verra pretta. It's just that I will probably only wear foundation one day in my entire life, but I sure as hell spent a lot of money on a bottle that I will tote all over the place. It was fun though - she did a 'light fresh look' that I will probably not copy, but I really liked all the colors she used - I might just tweak them a bit to the style I normally do. I know that for all of you reading this you are just ENTHRALLED right now, bear with me - it gets better.
Then we went to one of those family picnics where you celebrate 5 different things in one afternoon. There were graduations, birthdays and mothers' days. It wasn't bad though - and of course we were told that Dave's sister, Katie, is pregnant (although we aren't supposed to say anything yet - but I'm not actually telling anyone by writing it in a blog, right?). Needless to say, one more thing that Dave's baby sister has to one-up on. Poor Dave is never allowed to have anything of his own - he gets married and she has to eclipse it by announcing and very ill-timed pregnancy and griping about how is she going to cope traveling abroad. My opinion: don't travel - it will make life easier on everyone - especially me. I apologize if I sound selfish, but I do not want to spend my entire wedding and honeymoon hearing about how she is pregnant. Did I mention that she'll be celebrating her birthday while she's on our honeymoon? Fun-fucking-tastic. I can't wait.
We went and saw 'The Da Vinci Code' on Saturday - it is everything that I expected. Although I will say that Tom Hanks' performance was slightly eclipsed by Audrey Tautou & Ian McKlellan. Nice. It was good - I would buy the DVD, I wouldn't say it was the best movie ever, but I enjoyed it. And I was informed that 2 more people will be coming to my wedding - Brandon & his boyfriend. That will be nice, the more the merrier - I think Tonia will be having more people coming to my wedding than I am. It will be the 'Tonia Posse'. I am counting the days until we leave for Bloomington - I can't wait! Although, I haven't heard from the Hart sisters in a while so I hope it's still good (hint hint, call me). I hope your brother's wedding was nice and you had a good time - I believe it was this past weekend right? OK - so I feel better that I have updated my blog now. I should get back to work - ugh.

45 days

2006-05-16T15:15:00.000-05:00

Not too much activity on the blog pages lately... at least Paul still cares and posts comments. (Just kidding to the rest of you - I know you're all busy). To be honest, I haven't had anything exciting to report on lately. I could go on and on about how last night's Presidential Address made me get online and do serious searches for jobs in the UK, but I think we've already been over that before. Work hasn't been sucking too bad lately - I am still amazed at the low-level of intelligence in the state of Misery but that's nothing new. I just ate a chocolate crisp bar (completely unnecessary) and it is now sitting like a rock in the bottom of my stomach. I was 'trying to help a good cause' by buying a bar from a little girl for a fundraiser for her school. If any of you watched 'The Sopranos' this past week and saw the scene where Vito is working on some 'construction' and keeps telling himself that he only has a short while before his lunch break; he keeps trying to convince himself that it's probably later in the day and when he finally looks at his watch it's actually an hour and a half earlier than he was hoping - that's pretty much how I feel at the moment. I am counting down to when I can leave without looking too conspicuous.

Egimicated

2006-05-12T18:21:00.000-05:00

It's a wonderful day! The sun is shining and it's Friday. And let me first say, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL!" I hope you have a wonderful birthday - wish I could see you in your ballet.
I received a postcard in the mail today from WMU stating that my 'WMU degree has been awarded... Your diploma will arrive in approximately ten weeks." Yahoo! I finally have become a Master of Arts. It only took 6 years! (well, not a full 6 years, but you know). I am going to open up a bottle of wine, each some chicken, toast to Paul's birthday, toast to my new degree and take a deep breath for now I have nothing hanging over my head!!!

NBC

2006-05-11T21:25:00.000-05:00

OK - just finished watching the best night of television; the funny sitcom has finally returned. My opinion, the best new shows are 'My Name Is Earl' & 'The Office'. Granted, neither are taped in front of a live audience, but you know what I mean. Finally, someone has written two good shows. 'The Office' of course originated from the British and the American version had now completed its 2nd season - that show is just the best. My absolute favorite. And Jim finally told Pam how he felt! And they kissed! I am such a junkie it's ridiculous.....

Training camp for Santa & Mrs. Claus

2006-05-07T14:59:00.000-05:00

To those of you reading this; you will love my story from last night (I think) - although it would probably sound better if you could hear it in person, but use your imagination when it comes to 'inflection'......
So, last night we planned on hanging out with Dave's sister Becky & her boyfriend Tony. I really like hanging out with them because they are fun and don't talk about 'window treatments' and wall paint in the land of suburbia. Anyways, Tony & Becky were at a wedding earlier in the evening and were on their way to Tony's house - we planned on meeting them there but were early and decided to stop by a bar near Tony's house to have a beer before meeting them. Dave called Tony to see if he could recommend a place - 'Karen's Kozy Kabin'. So, in we go and to our surprise it's a biker bar (mind you we're in the middle of Latino Land, so it was a big of a shocker). The bar was very 'intimate' and you could probably only fit about 40 people in there. Everyone was very nice and didn't give us any dirty looks or anything. The bartender was very sweet and called us 'honey' and 'darling'. So we're sitting there waiting for Becky to call to say they're ready and having a few beers while watching Nascar (now of course this isn't a shocker because we are in a biker bar after all). There's an older fella (probably pushing 60) dressed in leather and you're typical 'biker gear'; mind you he looks like Santa (bushy white hair and a long white beard). Interesting right? Biker Santa is wasted and making small talk with everyone - obviously we're not one of the regulars so he comes up to us and asks Dave if he has a bike outside. The conversation took an odd turn at that moment and this is where the story gets gritty.
Biker Santa turns to me and says, "You're a real looker sweetheart - do you like girls?"
I respond politely and say, "No, I'm into guys - specifically this one" (referring to Dave of course).
Biker Santa replys, "Are you two swingers?"
At this point I fear for Dave's life because we're sitting in a biker bar and he's laughing like a little schoolgirl and just staring at Biker Santa. Nevertheless he pulls himself together and says, "Nope, we just do each other".
Biker Santa says, "Come on honey - you should try it with a girl, at least once. You might really like it. We're going to Olathe tonight (town in Kansas right over the border) to a party. We go every Saturday night. Couples are $30, women by themselves are free, by guys on their own have to pay quite a bit. I would recommend doing the couple thing."
Dave tries to get his giggling under control and says, "Thanks but we're not really into that".
Biker Santa says, "That's my wife over there (mind you, she's at least 25 years younger than Biker Santa) and the guys just go crazy for her."
I said, "Yes she is beautiful but we're pretty happy with each other. Thanks anyways."
Biker Santa, "Gee, I hope I didn't offend you - I'm just really wasted right now and you never know what people might be into."
Dave said, "That's OK - you didn't offend us. Hope you have a good time tonight". At that point the conversation turned the bend into something else fairly innocuous, but Dave still couldn't stop laughing. Apparently everyone else in the bar is quite comfy with the swinging Santa and his wife - after all they are regulars. But Biker Santa couldn't leave before literally kissing the bartender's butt. Now we know what Santa does during the 'off-season'.

Namibia or Tanzania?

2006-05-04T14:26:00.000-05:00

Thankfully it's been pretty calm at work (although I shouldn't say that too loud). I'm getting more excited about our wedding, mainly because the time is getting closer and I am currently not freaking out/stressing out about work. Although, on a personal note I can honestly say that all is going well save for the mother of Dave's son. If she were lying crippled in the middle of the road and about to be hit by a semi-truck I would leave her to be crushed to death. I cannot even believe that a human being can be so unbelievably stupid and downright mean (and not currently working for the government in some way). Ugh - I will not even go into specifics because as Dave says "don't give her that much attention or energy - she isn't worth it". Nevertheless, it's still fun to plot someone's death in various ingenous ploys. Alas... I will move on.
Dave came up with the idea of inviting people from my work over for a BBQ - good idea, but I don't want anyone to feel as though they 'have' to come because it's at their boss' house. Oh well - it will be interesting to see these people liquored up. The BBQ/picnic will not be until the weekend after Memorial Day weekend, so don't salivate at the idea of an interesting story until then. Tomorrow I am mailing out the final payment for the Castle for our wedding (it is now officially paid in full). Whew. Now we only need to pay for a shitload of other things :) That's OK - I just remind myself that it's not that far away and we will be out of the country for 2.5 weeks - if there is any possible way to stay there we will. Dave came up with the idea of forging new identities and moving to a new country (basically to get out of paying our student loans & credit card bills). The idea is that since his mom works at a hospital she could get us birth certificates of people born close to when we were (people that have already passed away of course). Then all we have to do is go to the Social Security Dept and say that we need SS cards - when asked why we haven't gotten one before now or how have we been able to get away without having one before now, all we do is say that our parents were missionaries in Namibia and we are just establishing a new life in the States. Since we'll have the birth certificates stating that we are in fact American citizens we'll be good to go. Unfortunately, Dave's mom wasn't too keen on stealing us birth certificates so for now we're stuck. *heavy sigh*

2 months from today

2006-04-30T09:42:00.000-05:00

Sunday morning - I haven't quite decided if I like Sunday or Saturday mornings better. Part of me says Saturday - b/c then you know you have one more day off before having to go back to work. Another part of me says Sunday - b/c somehow it seems more serene. The bastard hillbilly kids are not outside screaming b/c they're at church and Sundays are for not getting dressed in clothes other than 'sweats' and not doing your hair or makeup (if you're a girl of course). Although I love Saturdays b/c it's the first of 2 days off and you know you have one more day to screw around. Conversely, 'The Sopranos' are on Sunday nights and who can't love that?
Yesterday was great - the weather sucked, but Dave & I made breakfast in the morning; pancakes, bacon, hasbrowns and coffee. The following 4 hours were spent watching the NFL draft (yes, although that my not sound exciting to some - I LOVE it). The 1st 12 picks were exciting and I am so happy that the Steelers picked up the #1 wide receiver at the 25th spot (Santonio Holmes). Anways, I will not bore you all with the details of the draft.
I spent this morning cleaning out my email inbox and writing some emails to people that were long overdue. I have quite the sense of gratification at the moment. Dave & I also have chosen the ceremony for the wedding and will be working on songs and whatnot. On the one hand we are thinking of traditional instrumental music (not necessarily 'wedding' music, but I like a particular piece from 'The Gladiator' and other instrumental music from some movies); on the other hand I think it would be fitting to pick pieces like 'Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?' while the bridesmaids are walking down the aisle. Or, 'Polythene Pam' while I enter with my dad. We can always find the perfect rap/hard rock song for the guys, but Dave somehow thinks we should go for traditional - I asked him if he wanted me to bawl like a baby while walking down the aisle or try to lighten the mood with some upbeat stuff, but I think 20 years from now looking back it would be better to go with the safe bet on the music.
Paul, may I give you some personal advice on your future wedding plans? (if the answer was no, just skip the next couple of lines). Definitely go with what feels right for you & Thea. Thankfully no one from either of our families has played the demanding role in saying what they think we should do or what they want us to do, but definitely if you feel like doing something 'non-traditional' go for it - you only do this once and you want to make it as personal as possible; definitely not a normal pomp & circumstance affair just like every other wedding. ok - I'm off my soapbox now.
So we are officially off to Bloomington for Memorial Day weekend. That Friday Dave & I are going to spend the night in St. Louis and then head off to Bloomington Saturday morning. Cathy - are you coming down? I hope so... alright kids, now that time is beginning to creep into mid-Sunday morning, I should go down and look over the pieces of the newspaper that Dave has picked out for me. I know, we sound old right? I love this stuff though....

Irony

2006-04-26T10:13:00.000-05:00

It's a cold and dreary day here in the land of the lost. It's been rainy for the past 2 days and it has been extremely difficult to wake up in the mornings. Why is it that most people (i.e. Dave & myself) have no problem waking up on the weekends wide awake, but have to literally drag ourselves out of ben during the week and cannot wake up throughout the day. It's a mental thing, I know. Work hasn't been too sucky (not as sucky as usual - but still not all that good either). Nevertheless I cannot wait to become an expatriate. My dad sent me an article that I sent to some of you, describing Bush as the evil twin of Forrest Gump - I believe in this sentiment wholeheartedly. I'm not going to go on a tangent about this now, but I can't believe we have to endure another 2 and 1/2 years of this administration - gas prices will reach $4/gallon, I gurantee. I wonder when the civil rebellions will begin to occur throughout the country? When will we have a 21st century 'Boston tea party'? Who will be our 21st century Paul Revere? Clinton may have been getting blow jobs in the oval office, personally I could care less, but at least he understood the term 'capital investment' as opposed to 'line your buddies pockets'. I still cannot understand why we are at war in a country that was proven to have no WMDs and why our own citizens are under survellience w/o court orders. Is this what democracy has come to? I have always believed that the US never was (and never has been) a democracy, it is an oligarchy. The electoral college is living proof - how someone can win the popular vote and not the EC vote is beyond me. It has happened in the past when an entire state has voted for one candidate but the EC voted for the other. How is that democratic? The US is an oligarchy - run by the select few. That being the case, how can there be a war for democracy in other countries that clearly should not be run democratically otherwise they would (and are currently) self-combust? Democracy is not always the best option, but have we ever truly witnessed and been a part of a democracy? hmmm.... anyways, I will drop my little political tirade and go back to work making money off of people that have none.

Serenity

2006-04-23T11:13:00.000-05:00

Hello all! I'm baaack! You have no idea how you brightened my day to see that you were actually waiting and looking forward to a posting. I admit and apologize that I have been unbelieveably busy, as I know the rest of you are. And I realize that is no excuse not to post something, so here I am.
As for the past week, in the few moments that I have been able to steal to myself while at work - I have consistently fantasized about how I would like to replace people at work with friends from MI. For instance, I think that Annie, Cathy & Paul would make excellent post-petition paralegals; Sue would be fantastic at the front desk and helping out the paralegals; Becky would be my ultimate file clerk/clerical support; Oscar would be my pre-petition paralegal; all the while you could make my life easier and the office run smoother. Imagine all the work that would get done! I have to say, everyone does work hard at the office now, the problem is that they could be so much more effective if they had some common sense. I truly believe that people from MI have far more common sense (one supporting factor being that they listen to NPR - as I have discussed previously). Anyways, I am getting to the point where I just have to not care if we can't get a client to do what they need to do.
I actually went to work yesterday (again on a Sat) and it was just as crazy as a normal workday. Today Dave & I have a big day planned at Target! How exciting. Last night we grilled out and were trying to think of who to invite over to hang out and eat meat. Alas, people's excuses were that they were approx 8-12 hours away and couldn't make it. How lame is that? Anyway, I did speak with Anne-Marie briefly yesterday and am happy to announce that Dave & I will be escaping the land of BBQ for Memorial Day weekend and traveling to the land of Bloomington - yahoo. Hopefully Cathy will be able to make it and anyone else who feels like making the trip and staying at Anne-Marie's (providing her & Mokie don't mind of course). It will be very nice to get out of Misery and travel somewhat to the east where the IQs increase exponentially.
I know you are all dying to know what we had at the Cheesecake Factory last weekend - I may have already mentioned it, but what the hell. We had several mojitos (the most wonderful drink in the world), followed by salmon rolls, fried calamari, several glasses of wine, hibachi steak for me, petite filet for Dave, and a couple of slices of cheesecake to go. yummy.... As much as I wish we could do that every weekend, the only was we pulled it off last weekend was thanks to my Dad - thanks Dad.
Other news; hmmm... there isn't much. I did finally get my bouquet and the favours for the wedding are being shipped soon. Since the favours are being made in Wales, I'm having them shipped to our friend Andy's house so we don't have to lug them on the plane - I'm going to do the same with the flowers ahead of time. I still don't have my dress yet and I need to call the lady making it - Dave finally got his suit and needs the legs hemmed, so I'll find out then what the dealy is. I know, not much insight here but I my brain is somewhat fried from this week, so I'm working myself up.
Dave & I are offically looking for jobs in Wales and England. I figure one more year here and then we will offically become expatriates. I am so excited. Dave is going to write to Prince Charles and ask for some 'help'. He figures if he writes about how his family emigrated from Wales in the late 1800s and explains how that was such a big mistake and now we want to return to his heritage and continue forth. I think it might work. You never know, at least Charlie might get such a kick out of it he'll ask Dave to become his own jester. That would be lovely. Then Dave could wear the little turned up shoes and funny hat. I think Dave would do that if it meant we could move and become officially 'un-American'. Personally, I see the benfit of obtaining dual citizenship, but Dave will have none of it. That's fine - I have no problem staying in the U.K. and Western Europe for the rest of my life. I would rather live in the U.K. and visit Italy anytime I wanted than actually live in Italy. Italy is just so special that I wouldn't want to ever lose that 'magic' if you know what I mean.
Alright, I think it's time to shower and dress and eat some lunch. I have immensely enjoyed my morning and to follow the impending day off - and oh the joy of watching The Sopranos tonight! We found this awesome Thai restaurant near us and had takeout on Friday, so it's leftovers for lunch - yum. I promise to keep up the blog writing this week - things should calm down a tad (provided no crises blowup) so I'll be able to contribute regularly. Keep up the comments!

Hot Bugs

2006-04-15T10:39:00.000-05:00

Well, it's 10:30 am and it is supposed to be 94'F today. It's been hot like this all week, apparently we've broken the high temp record just about everyday (the previous highs being set in the '30s). It's about 27' hotter than normal April temperatures. Fantastic. What is also fantastic is that fact that our thermomostat has decided that it no longer would like to be a part of our family and has decided to go renegade and play cruel tricks. Such as; the air conditioner works perfect (it's brand new) but you can't change the temperature. You can program anything else you want on the thermostat (probably even your fav television show) but you cannot change the temperature. So right now it is set at a balmy 88'F. Thankfully downstairs is cool, but our bedroom is pretty much a sauna. We were told that 'hopefully' someone can come out this weekend to fix it. What will happen is that whomever comes out (whenever that will be) will say that they need to order a new one and that will take another week. Personally, I am of the opinion to tell them to get a new one (I could care less if it's the same one) and fix it now. Right now it's nice in here, but good 'ol Misery heat will kick in soon enough. Mike & Rebeca were asking us what we wanted as a wedding gift and we kept telling them that we don't want anything. We finally came up with a 'gift' and told them that we wanted them to come down here to visit this summer. Mike asked how hot it was (now remember, he's Mexican) and when Dave told him how hot it gets he said, "Sorry man, I love ya but I don't know if I love ya that much". Annie & Cathy can attest to how warm it gets, and they weren't even here during the really hot months. Oh well, this is when all the weird bugs start to emerge from wherever they have been all winter. I'm not a fan of the heat but I hate weird bugs more. As long as they are outside and don't come in my house I'm alright. So far so good. I think in the year we've lived here we've only found one bug downstairs and one in the garage (harmless ones but wierd looking nonetheless). Apparently spiders are rampant in peoples' homes around here - especially when the seasons change, *fingers crossed* we haven't had that problem!

Road trip ?

2006-04-12T13:15:00.000-05:00

Back from lunch and covering the front desk so the receptionist can take a break - I cannot wait until the new lady starts on Monday (let's hope she doesn't like Jerry Springer). After having another mini-breakdown last night and taking it unnecessarily out on Dave, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot care anymore about what happens at work. I need to practice 'letting it go' and just forgetting about crap. I know, I know, you're all saying 'yeah- right', but I seriously need to do that, or I need heavy medication.
My dad sent Dave & I a gift card to the Cheescake Factory and we're going there for dinner on Saturday night - I am so excited! Not that anyone reading this will really care where we eat dinner on Saturday, but I'm sharing nonetheless. I think we are going to Bloomington Memorial weekend to visit Annie & I believe Cathy is coming down as well. I'm not sure about these plans, but I know Dave spoke with Anne-Marie and I 'think' it might be a plan. If so, I am SO EXCITED!!! If not, I am going to dig a hole in the backyard - just kidding.... well, no - I'm not. ok - yes, I am. Let me know what's going on though, because I'm not sure myself. All I know is that I closed the office for the entire weekend and I need to get out of town. Although, I am looking forward to going hog-wild this weekend at the Cheescake Factory - no holds barred baby.

New family

2006-04-10T12:57:00.000-05:00

How was everyone's weekend? Ours was nice.. quite and productive. I finally finished my thesis - now all I have to do is edit. We went out with Dave's sister, Becky & her new boyfriend Tony on Saturday night. We went to this blues/jazz bar in the middle of nowhere by the train tracks. Definitely a cool place - exactly what you'd think of a typical Kansas City bar to be like. We had a good time; afterwards we went to the bar Tony manages and drank for free (yahoo). Since I'm not a big drinker, Tony kept bringing me food instead (free) - Dave of course was in his glory with all the free JaegerBombs he could drink. One thing for all of you out there: to get to a fat girl's heart - bring her free food all night.
Now it's Monday and back to work. I hired a new file room/secretary, maybe she'll last longer than 24hrs, but doesn't start until next Monday. So one more week of craziness, but not as bad as before. We have to spend this weekend with the 'fam' for Easter - yuck. I get along with Dave's family, but to be perfectly honest we would much rather spend holidays by ourselves. To be fair, now that we live so close we really don't see them as much as you'd think, so it really isn't all that bad (but still). Good thing is that Dave's mom likes me - she doesn't really like many people (I can probably count on one hand the number of people she likes and that includes family members). She has some 'social anxiety' problems (at least that's what I think), so I'm a little concerned that she has her plane tix to our wedding but not her passport yet. I worry that she'll be about to board the plane and they won't let her on. That would be quite a sight.

12 weeks

2006-04-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

after reading dave's blog i thought i would pay tribute and post a couple of pictures of us. the 1st one was taken at a Steelers game and the 2nd is from Mike & Rebeca's wedding. 12 weeks from yesterday and we will be married!

A joke

2006-04-07T22:32:00.000-05:00

Two little potatoes are standing on a street corner.
One of them is a prostitute.
How can you tell which one of them is the prostitute?

It's the one with the little sticker that says....

I - DA - HO

On the porch... if I had one

2006-04-07T22:01:00.000-05:00

Good evening everyone. I am so cool that I am writing my blog at 10pm on a Friday night - don't you all wish you could be as cool as me? just kidding.... I talked to my Dad today and he commented that I hadn't written in my blog in a bit and that things must be pretty crazy. Don't worry all - I am back! Sorta, since I never really went anywhere... work has been crazy and I thank you Cathy for making me feel better about the bubbles at work - and no Paul, that didn't actually happen. I just don't know who John is....
I want to correct myself on my last blog entry - my employees do suck. Although I should clarify; only 2 suck - the rest are great. One because this particular employee just plain sucks as I have outlined previously. The other because there is an attitude problem, although to be perfectly honest I am so used to it now that it doesn't really affect me all that much. I would like to get rid of one of the attorneys just because he's an ass, but he's not one of 'my' employees. At least it's Friday and I have 2 whole days of not having to deal with anyone (unless of course they call multiple times throughout the weekend which has been known to happen). Excuse me, j-bo is trying to help me type again & Stormy is bringing me a toy... ok - better now
I had a slight breakdown the other day - or maybe it was a temper tantrum? I think that when we're young it's referred to as a 'temper tantrum' but when you hit the age of 27 it becomes a 'breakdown'; although I do believe the line is awfully thin. Anyways, I feel bad for Dave because although I may have to deal with people that need help all day, he has to mix concrete and lug it around. Sometimes I look back and wonder what the hell happened. I mean, we both (in about 2 weeks) will have our M.A.s, have taught at the university level, and are doing absolutely nothing close to our intelligence level. I truly feel as though we have dumbed down - not that we have become less intelligent, but we have settled knowing that we can't really have intelligent conversations with anyone else in this state other than each other. Everyday I used to listen to NPR - I love it. Since I have moved to KC, I actually listen to either the top 40 morning show or the alternative morning show - both of which are very funny but have no real intelligence factor. We don't watch CNN anymore - but I truly blame that on the fact that we have extended cable and get the NFL channel (it's great - you get football all year long!). Not making that an excuse, but it's true. I have to force myself to turn on NPR - why I have no idea, because I have always loved listening to NPR. But that fact alone truly frightens me to believe that if we remain in KC I will forever turn into 'some dumb hick' who just happens to have 2 degrees in History, Classical Studies, Languages and Art History. Wonderful. Now Dad, if you're reading this: no, my education was not wasted. :) I just now have definitively proven why no one should move out west - you will become dumb beyond your ability to fight it. It will be long, slow and torturous - and you will attempt to fight it in the beginning. I am and am trying not to think too hold myself too high in the idea that I am smarter than everyone around me. I don't know that is true - some just may be really good actors. Now, I have to use a great deal of level-headedness at work everyday, solving office issues and maintaining our various bank account, paying bills, making money, etc; but that isn't what I would call 'academic intelligence' - when I work on my thesis I feel that thrill of knowing more about an area than most people. Sometimes the bitch in me wants to bring my thesis to work and make my employees read it just to show off. I have to start listening to NPR everyday.
Now that most of you are probably saying What??, I will bid you adieu - for the evening. More than likely I will post something tomorrow, mainly because I am addicted to this (not in a meth kind of way, but in a more therapeutic kind of way). Sometimes I miss crackhead Joey.

Zombies

2006-04-05T09:59:00.000-05:00

Good morning all. Just a quick note and I have a ton of work. After reading 'anonymous' comment on my last entry, I feel the need to clarify something. I don't want anyone to think that I despise my job - I don't. It's just the typical everyday stresses that make it more difficult than necessary sometimes. I don't want to fire everyone in the office and start over. All in all everyone is good at what they do - some more so than others. And just about everyone I don't want to get rid of - it's just that sometimes common sense has a tendency to take a leave of absence. For instance, I hired a new girl to work in the file room - she worked one day and came in yesterday morning to say that she was offered another job (in what she went to school for) and didn't want to stay here. Talk about lack of professionalism - why take the job to start? I get frustrated when people who have a set of responsibilities do not accomplish them because they are overwhelmed. If you are overwhelmed why not ask for help? That's not a bad thing - if you don't ask for help and don't get your responsibilites done then you just come across as lazy. If i don't know that you need help, I'm going to think that you can take care of everything.
Anyways, I think it's interesting what Anne-Marie said about the people of Indiana freaking out. It's amazing what a time change can do to someone. I can fully imagine that by adhering to daylight savings it would be like a scene from Shaun of the Dead (which I'm glad that you finally watched Annie - it's an hilarious movie!).

Aidez-moi

2006-04-04T20:06:00.000-05:00

OK - I definitely want to strangle someone at work. Anyone want to move to KC and work as a paralegal for $12/hr? I would train you and everything is easy to learn - I promise. You just need to have common sense, and apparently that is hard to find in an employee. Those of you reading this, I KNOW you have common sense and responsibility and a high level of intelligence! Would you be willing to work for $12/hr & all the BBQ (or BBQ'd veggies) you can eat? Please??!!! Save my sanity! I am totally not kidding about this - plus there would be a monthly bonus of anywhere between $250-$500. HELP!

Wonka

2006-04-03T19:01:00.000-05:00

Good evening all. Today has been a crazy Monday - although I didn't want to strangle anyone at work today. The whole time change and losing an hour completely screwed me up. It's wonderful that we have more daylight, but Dave & I could not go to sleep last night. After watching the Sopranos, I ended up watching some girlie/wedding movie. We finally went to bed and watched Braveheart in bed. Bad idea - I love that movie but we ended up watching most of it and couldn't sleep. At least tonight we should be able to go to sleep at our usual 'old person' bedtime. I'm writing this while I am making dinner (inbetween waiting for water to boil and the oven to warm up). Baked spaghetti with meatballs and homemade garlic bread. I have decided that everyone in our wedding party will have to wear sequined lollipop tops and matching lycra pants (with the straps under the foot). Everyone attending must dress up like an Oompa-Loompa. I think that would fit in well with the overall architecture and landscape of the Castle. I totally lied to my advisor and told him that my thesis was finished. It almost is - I just need to finish one small section and write up the final intro and conclusion. Dave's going to MI in a couple of weeks to visit Tucker and hand-in his thesis as well - I figured my thesis will definitely be done by the time he journeys north. OK - I know I've jumped around a lot, I need to go check on din-din.

Defining Class

2006-04-01T11:12:00.000-06:00

Wow - let me tell you how much it sucks right now to be at work. First of all, it is dead - no one is showing up for their appointments. Which in a way is nice, because it's quite and not busy at all. I recruited Dave to work on servicing cases. Good thing is that the office is only open from 10-2 on Saturdays and the last appointment today (if they show up) is at 1pm. I'm giving them 15min to show and then we all leave. That's the one good thing about being the boss - I can call it an early day when I want. Hehehehehehehe..... (imagine that being an evil laugh and I'm twiddling my fingers). It is already 72'F today and not a cloud in the sky. Dave & I are going to grill out some steaks for dinner - I am so excited to be able to grill outside! Tomorrow is time to work on our theses. Theses - that sounds like such a stupid word. Sometimes the plural of words sounds unintelligent. Anyways, we might go down to the Plaza after we get outta here. For those of you who don't know what I am referring to, the Plaza is an outdoor shopping area downtown for rich people and for us paeons it is a place to goggle at things we cannot afford. Although, I will admit that there are some 'affordable' stores, but in general this is where the Kansans flock to show off their lastest trendy clothes and cars. There are some cool restaurants - one of my favorites is the place Anne-Marie & Cathy went. Last night Dave & I went to this local dive bar called Tona Hills. It is hard to describe this bar in only a few words. Let me see.... Walmart prom, long hair, early 80s, midgets, people in wheelchairs playing pool, people with absolutely no rythym attempting to dance. It is absolutely fascinating - especially when one of the creepy guys starts handing out beads and the women who wear shirts with sequined lollipops on them begin to flash everyone in order to obtain the precious beads. It's one of those things that I think everyone in life should witness at least once. It is highly entertaining and no matter what personal hangups you may have about yourself - you are always on of the classy ones at Tona Hills.

Buzz

2006-03-31T12:33:00.000-06:00

It is gorgeous today - 67'F & sunny. It sucks looking at it out my office window, but I think I might take the deposit to the bank just to enjoy some of the weather. I plan on leaving as early as possibly from work today (I justify it because I'm coming into work tomorrow for about 4 hours - ugh). It's beautiful out but very windy. We had tornado warnings again all night last night. I admit that I am beginning to get used to the hail storms around here. Apparently Kansas is preparing for a swarm of killer bees this year. The state of Kansas will actually be setting up border traps - which I thought was hugely funny. Border patrol for bees. They complain about illegal immigrants crossing borders and they think that they can stop millions of bees? hmmm.... Thankfully, I live in Missouri - not Kansas. Doesn't sound like Dorothy will want to go home anytime soon now, not with the potential of killer bees. Although, come on - killer bees are going to attack the state of Kansas. What is this a Hitchcock movie? It would get all the prissy rich peoples' panties in a bunch

Replacement

2006-03-30T10:27:00.000-06:00

Dave says that when Stormy "kicks the bucket", this is going to be his new cat and he will call her Myfanwy. Personally, I think j-bo might run and hide if he sees this cat. It looks like a Kling-On

Grazie mille

2006-03-29T19:31:00.000-06:00

My really good friend from Jersey just called - Frankie. I met Frankie while I was an undergrad at various "parties" - ok, by parties I mean raves. My best friend from college, Vic, was the one who introduced us and Frankie is one of those friends that no matter what, no matter when - he's always there to talk to and even if you don't talk for months or even years, you can pick back up right where you left off. I haven't seen Frankie in 4 years and he is trying desperately to come to our wedding. If he can make it, Anne-Marie & Cathy: I know that you will instantly fall in love with him (not in a romantic way, but in a kindred-spirit kind of way). He is a huge ball of energy, but not the annoying kind. Ok, I will stop talking about Frankie now, but the reason I bring him up is because he is trying so hard to come to our wedding - harder than most members of either of our families. And though I do not expect anyone to be able to go, it means a lot to know that people (such as Frankie) are trying and some of them are willing to plummet further into debt in order to go (Anne-Marie & Cathy). Sometimes we all take for granted our friends - not in the sense that we use them or manipulate them, but in the sense that knowing those deep close friends will do anything in their power for you at any time. That's what counts. And to be perfectly honest, if it wasn't for Paul influencing Annie (in turn influencing me) I wouldn't have started this blog. This blog is what gets me through the day. Before I had this blog I told Dave that due to stress at work I think I needed to be medicated. This is now my medication. Seeing Cathy, Annie, Paul, Thea all comment and take notice and have "conversations" means more to me than anything and is keeping me sane. So I thank you all for being such dear and wonderful friends. For I know my life is not even close to being interesting, but you still care.

Border patrol & beer cans

2006-03-29T19:16:00.000-06:00

My belly is full of BBQ. Yum. Ok - I've added a link to Dave's blog as well. He has MUCH better insight than I do, and has some really good things on there. For yesterday's post, the picture is of a veterinary clinic in North Wales - the name is ridiculously long. Yesterday was all about Mexicans; today is about graffitti, vampires & crackheads

In hiding...

2006-03-29T15:46:00.000-06:00

All in all, today hasn't been too bad at work. Probably because I spent 3 hours catching up in the file room in order to avoid anyone coming to me with any questions or issues. I had to give a review today and got suckered into giving a slightly higher raise than I intended - mainly because he's the one employee who hasn't annoyed the crap out of me lately and has been working hard. Anyways, I have to say that I feel truly sorry for Anne-Marie and studying anything right now. I feel sorry for Cathy having to do the same. Just think kids - only one more month of classes and then the summer! Yeah! And I fully expect anyone reading this to journey out to the Land of the Idiots Feeding on BBQ this summer. Despite my complaining, there really is a ton of stuff to do here. Dave & I are getting fairly old and go to bed at 9pm, but on the weekends it's hoppin' (although even then it's a fight to stay awake later than 10pm). We can show you all the cool places. Funnily enough, KC being on the border of MO & KS, the two states are very different. Think of KS and the rich and snotty - MO is more white trash and Walmart. Not to say that anyone who goes to Walmart is white trash, but I truly do not believe they even have Walmart in KS - the closest would be Neiman Marcus. And you wouldn't think KS to be like that would ya'? I sure didn't... I am truly gald that I do not have to study econ or physics or anythng like that. Although I am trying to finish my thesis, I can honestly say that I am such a dork that I enjoy working on it. Death and art - priceless. You know, at one point I seriously considered becoming a criminal psychologist. Sometimes I wish I had - then I'd only have to deal with dead people at work (and the occasional certified cannibal). But then I would have never met the wonderful people in K'zoo that I call my friends. Ahhh....

Maricela

2006-03-28T20:37:00.000-06:00

This is the most beautiful little girl in the world. This is Mike & Rebeca's daughter - she is as cool as she looks & will be 2 years old April 7th. Mike likes to think that Mari takes after him, but she's definitely her momma's girl too!

Woke up this morning, got myself a gun

2006-03-28T09:34:00.000-06:00

Cathy is a genius for recognizing that Italian food in Italy is actually referred to as just "food". I tried to post a few pictures last night, but for some reason the blog sight did not feel like co-operating with me. That's OK - I shall try again this eve.
So far I don't have much to report this morning, the little worker bees have been fairly quite (so far) - I think they're still in shock from yesterday. It was quite crazy around here. And you may all laugh and think I am being funny - but I truly think I might bring j-bo in. At least he'd be cheap labor - cat treats and kitty weed. I would like to thank you all for posting comments on my blog - you make my day so much better.
Ok all, I need some help. Dave & I have decided to put together our own music for our wedding. We're debating whether to have 'traditional' instrumental music or to actually pick songs. Anyone have any suggestions for some good songs? I'll need music before the ceremony, when everyone walks down the aisle, during the ceremony, and a processional. I told Dave that we should play the song during the opening credits of the Sopranos for when he walks down the aisle, but some of the lyrics are 'gun', etc. & I think his mom might not appreciate that. I'm also thinking of playing some swing music before the ceremony, but have not yet decided on that either. Any ideas?

A Piece of Peace

2006-03-27T19:45:00.000-06:00

Dream with the feathers of angels stuck beneath your head....
and by the way - we did have Italian

Mangia bene

2006-03-27T15:49:00.000-06:00

I am such a dork. I get so excited to look at my blog and see who may (or may not) have left a comment. It is the highlight of my day. Thank you Paul for influencing Annie, and Annie - thank you for influencing me. I apologize to anyone reading that I do not have much insight at this point in the day either. Work has been a typical crazy Monday, although I'm going to take off in a bit and go out to dinner with Dave. We're thinking either Japanese or Italian. As much as we are craving Japanese, it's expensive so we might end up doing Italian. I could honestly eat Italian every freakin day. Screw Atkins - bring on the pasta, bread, wine and sauce. As much as my future sister-in-law will regail me with her dieting methods and, "don't you want to look good in your wedding dress?", I am a firm believer in eating what I want. If my body is not made to quickly metabolize carbs and wine, then such is life. Now, on the other hand, Japanese would be better (in terms of 'diet') however, I'm not sure we can afford that right now. Well, I didn't fire anyone today - although I probably should have. This employee has been flying on the radar for months now. If anyone wants to move to a state where people have no concept of how to drive, but owuld like to make good money, please move out here and I will get you a job in my office. You know that commercial for some copy place, and there's a cat making color copies by painting with its' paw? I seriously have thought about putting j-bo & Stormy to work in the file room and answer phones - they would be highly more competent than people born in Missouri.

CHUDs

2006-03-27T10:36:00.000-06:00

I never thought I'd say this, but I miss Kalamazoo. I miss my friends and I miss having arguments with CHUDs next door. I miss our parties. Gosh - how self-centered am I? Anyways, today is Dave & my anniversary - 4 years! As you all know, we've been "together" longer than that, but 4 years ago today it was made official. I am so excited for our wedding that I am not nervous at all - although I know I will cry when I walk down the aisle. Mainly because I know my mom and the best man will be crying and that will make me cry, which in turn will (believe it or not) make Dave well up a bit too.
OK - let me say that I am SO EXCITED to find out what is going to happen on The Sopranos this season. I have my little ideas, but we'll see. I also have to admit that I feel slightly homesick after watching the show. So far today I am not very insightful, I'm pretty busy at work but I'm sure I'll think of something later.

Holidays in K'zoo

2006-03-26T22:15:00.000-06:00

I absolutely love this picture! How can you not? An FBI agent, Meatball & the love of my life.

I think this is a great picture of Paul & Thea. I miss my kitchen.....

Delving into the Catacombs

2006-03-26T12:31:00.000-06:00

I did in fact get Dave some bacon. I think he's relatively content at the moment - he has his Sunday paper and has drank about a pot of coffee. I have spent the rest of my time working on my thesis (well, it's not really a thesis anymore, but as soon as it's finished I will officially have my M.A.). The plan is to have it to my advisor by April, in time to officially graduate. It's a good plan, I can do it - thankfully I love my topic. Who wouldn't love death and art? I have a wonderful sense of accomplishment at the moment and I think I will reward myself by going to Barnes & Noble and buying a wedding magazine. I am hopelessly addicted now, although the good thing is that I don't like 1/2 the crap in them. Our wedding will not even closely resemble the pomp and circumstance of most peoples' (even though it is going to be in a Castle in Wales - but you know what I mean). We're having our "reception" in a pub after all... I have examined and interpolated quite a bit on the art and inscriptions of the early Christian catacombs - now I am going to dumb myself down in anticipation for the Sopranos this evening.

Bacon...bacon...

2006-03-26T10:20:00.000-06:00

Sunday morning, the sun is shining, no clouds - and the wind is blowing. And let me tell you - the wind is always blowing in KC and blowing hard. It's quite annoying to be perfectly honest. But it is still beautiful outside. Imagine my surprise and excitement when I saw that 2 more people posted comments on my blog! Yippee! Thank you Paul, and thank you anonymous (although I'm pretty sure I know who you are). In answer to your question Paul, yes - it was j-bo who was helping me type yesterday. He is ridiculous sometimes and follows me around non-stop until he gets some lovin-time. And to Paul - Congratulations on your engagement! That is absolutely fantastic and I am deeply happy for you and Thea.
Last night, Dave's sister and new boyfriend came over and hung out. It was fun and I ended up going to bed around 3am - although Dave never made it upstairs. He is awake now but only moderately functioning (as I'm sure all of you can picture). He still looks slightly confused and the only word he keeps repeating is "Bacon. Bacon". Alas, I think I must go forage for some hangover-breakfast for him. I apologize to you all who are reading this and the font is so large. I attempted to change the template so that I could get it smaller and so that it wouldn't look like the large-print books at Barnes & Noble for old ladies. I was pretty proud of myself for being able to add links to Anne-Marie's & Paul's blogs, but the font issue seems to be beyond my grasp. Dave has joined the rank and file and created a blog as well, although his is on Yahoo and in order to post comments you have to be a member. I think he might change over to this site - when he does I'll put a link for his blog as well.

Self-worth and a cat

2006-03-25T10:05:00.000-06:00

I was so excited this morning to see that Anne-Marie read my blog! Now I feel a deep satisfaction that maybe people will read my blog on a semi-regular basis and be interested (as interested as anyone can be reading about someone else). I am also trying to type this around my cat. He is the best cat in the entire world, but he likes to sit right in front of me and rub his head on my face and block my vision of the computer screen. He also has a tendency to try to help me type. Nevertheless, this is taking longer to post than it probably should. Dave's getting donuts at the moment - not that we need them or anything, but he definitely has a sweet tooth for donuts in the morning (and of course I have no self-control what-so-ever, but I'm fine with that). It's Saturday and I'm not sure what the plans are for today - hopefully not much.

Bodelwyddan Castle & Monterosso al Mare

2006-03-24T13:58:00.000-06:00

OK - I think I'm addicted to this blogging stuff.... (and a bit of "don't feel like working at the moment" attitude). Anyways, this is where Dave & I are getting married 30 June 2006. I'm pretty excited - so is Dave. And for those of you who know him, that's saying a lot. We're getting married in the Sculpture Gallery and there are huge windows overlooking the grounds - and of course there are sheep roaming around. It is Wales after all. Dave has mentioned that for his bachelor party he would like to "run with the sheep". Of course, being as I am, I have encourgaed him that if (and probably when) he does this, to please make sure to wear clothes. You never know. I am very excited for our friends and family to celebrate with us in Wales. I know there are a lot of people who wish they could be there but are unable to make it. I understand - it's a huge trip and we didn't expect as many people to go that actually are. But do not fret - there will be a ton of pictures taken and i'm sure some will end up on here. This picture is of Monterosso - where we're going on out honeymoon. Monterosso al Mare is definitely somewhere Dave & I could probably spend months at a time. It's almost magical and nearly impossible to describe. You need to be there and experience it to fully appreciate it.

The Jerry Springer Show truly does represent life

2006-03-24T09:46:00.000-06:00

You know, it is truly amazing at one's ability to completely play dumb and still survive in the world. Sometimes I wonder if people are truly as stupid as they seem or if it is some kind of attention-getter. Whatever happened to survival of the fittest? I guess it's a issue of how to manipulate the system. Case in point: I had an employee who was working in the file room. This woman was fantastic at her job - efficient, organized, and on-top of things. However, there was an issue of a Jerry Springer guest-on-the-show attitude. I'm talking all out white trash obscenities and drama. I fully expected a chair to be thrown. It's a long story and highly amusing, but basically it is the inherent lack of respect for having a job that pays well and a desire to keep it. I wonder sometimes about the generational tendency to become more and more self-centered (in the sense of "what can you do for me?"). I don't remember ever pulling stunts like that, although I'm sure my mom can repudiate that to some extent.

How easily I am influenced....

2006-03-24T09:29:00.000-06:00

It is 9:28am - at work (should be working) - but am captivated by this whole technology thing and how easily it is to be sucked into the vortex of wanting to do things because your friends do. I've never been into the whole "techie" world, but this is pretty cool. (Allow me a moment to play the violins here....) being removed from friends & family I like logging on and reading about how Anne-Marie is now inexorably link to economics (in a sort of love/hate kinda way). Although I am positive that no one will probably ever read my blog, there is this paradox that I am excited to partake while at the same time anxious that no one will ever take interest. Alas.... it's still pretty cool